Wichita, KS - February 1, 2010 - Cessna Aircraft Company, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, today announced it is fielding its fifth Citation Mobile Service Unit (MSU) to handle Citation maintenance at South Florida airports. The unit, part of Cessna's ServiceDirect maintenance delivery group, will debut the weekend of Feb. 6-7 at Sheltair Aviation at Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale International Airport (FLL).
"Customer response to the introduction of our new service initiatives through ServiceDirect has been superb, particularly for the Mobile Service Units," said Mark Paolucci, Cessna senior vice president, Customer Service. "South Florida was a natural location for our newest MSU, due not only to the high concentration of Citations based here from the Keys to West Palm Beach and over to Naples, but the high number of aircraft regularly visiting the region as well."
The newest MSU will be based full-time at Sheltair Aviation in Ft. Lauderdale, centrally located among South Florida's busiest general aviation airfields. Like the other MSUs in service, the crew will be based locally, facilitating quick dispatch for service requests.
The Mobile Service Units are full-size service trucks equipped with tooling to perform a variety of Citation diagnostic and maintenance functions including AOG support. These units can also perform medium-sized planned maintenance events as well as engine removal.
In 2009, the in-service trucks made 541 service calls, traveling more than 70,000 miles and performing 310 unscheduled and 231 scheduled maintenance jobs. The other MSUs are based in North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, and Southern California.
About Cessna Aircraft Company
Based on unit sales, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest manufacturer of general aviation airplanes. In 2009, Cessna delivered 754 aircraft, including 289 Citation business jets, and reported revenues of about $3.3 billion. Since the company was originally established in 1927, more than 192,000 Cessna airplanes have been delivered around the world, including more than 6,000 Citations, making it the largest fleet of business jets in the world. More information about Cessna Aircraft Company is available at www.cessna.com.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.